The .NET Framework Cleanup Tool will quickly remove the version of the .NET Framework you select from a PC.

This can be very useful if the .NET Framework has become corrupted, preventing some programs from running, and the system is so damaged that you can't repair, remove or reinstall the affected Framework version. It is a last resort, though, so if you've not tried a repair installation, a reinstall, or the other usual troubleshooting steps, then do that first. The .NET Framework Cleanup Tool author has a troubleshooting guide that explains what to do.

If all else fails, though, download the cleanup tool, unzip and launch it (the program is portable, no installation is required). Then choose the version of the .NET Framework that you'd like to cleanly remove, click Cleanup Now and it'll be properly removed for you.

The .NET Framework Cleanup Tool supports the following Framework products:

.NET Framework - All Versions

.NET Framework - All Versions (Tablet PC and Media Center)

.NET Framework - All Versions (Windows Server 2003)

.NET Framework - All Versions (Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008)

.NET Framework 1.0

.NET Framework 1.1

.NET Framework 2.0

.NET Framework 3.0

.NET Framework 3.5

.NET Framework 4

.NET Framework 4.5

And this edition of the program now also runs on Windows 8. However, it won't remove versions that are included as a part of your operating system.

While this can be a life-saver, the author says that the removal process will strip out shared Registry keys required by other Framework versions, so you'll need to be prepared to reinstall all of these (not just the one you're removing). Check the tool's home page for more details.

Only go ahead with this if you understand exactly what you're doing: if you're not ready to reinstall then the tool could cripple your PC.

Verdict:

The .NET Framework Cleanup Tool is an excellent way to repair a corrupted .NET setup, but it can also be dangerous - this isn't for novices. Don't use the program until you're sure you understand all the issues, and are ready to reinstall every version of .NET currently on your PC

There's a vast amount to learn, of course, and that's even before you start building your game. But there's plenty of documentation, tutorials, demos and sample projects to point you in the right direction.

The package is now entirely free, too - no annoying limitations, nag screens or anything else. Epic now only requires that you pay a 5% royalty after the first $3,000 of revenue per product per quarter. And even then, you "pay no royalty for film projects, contracting and consulting projects such as architecture, simulation and visualization."

8.48 brings:
- Optimized grass rendering and procedural foliage system preview
- Plugins available in Marketplace
- Improved accuracy for motion blur
- New Tone Mapper
- Support for all the latest VR hardware including Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, Steam VR and HTC Vive, Leap Motion, and Sony's Project Morpheus for PlayStation 4
- "Scrubbable" network replays with rewind support and live time scrubbing
- Visualize the memory footprint of game assets in an interactive tree map UI